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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. 0. SHAPFER.

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING THE) EXPANSIVE POWER 0? HEAT.

No. 367,244. Patented July 26, 1887.

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(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 2.

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- APPARATUS FOR APPLYING THE BXPANSIVE POWER OF HEAT.

No. 367,244. Patented July'26, 1887 V/ll/(IIIIII- WI N E5'5E5 I INVEHTEI M; flaw 6. J4 W hwdm, w/iz/ N. PETEFEA PhulWLitMgr-phu. Wahinflnn. D. C.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

W0. SHAPPER.

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING THE EXPANSIVE POWER OF HEAT.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

"WILLIAM C. SHAFFER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING THE EXPANSIVE POWER OF HEAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 367,244, dated July 26, 1887.

Application filed March 26, 1886. Serial No.196,742. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. SHAFFER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Applying the Expansive Power of Heat; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and toletters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for applying the expansive power of heat, and has special reference to such apparatus in which the motion is produced by the thermal expansion of a confined fusible solid.

The object of this invention is to produce such an apparatus, the parts of which shall be positively inert and fixed or motionless under all disturbances or conditions, excepting only when it is exposed to a certain chosen temperature, to the end that it may be adapted to operate and control mechanism which is required to be operated only at times when the apparatus is by design or as a matter of course exposed to the chosen temperature.

Among the uses to which my improved apparatus may be applied are the operation of automatic fire-alarms and automatic fire extinguishing and'controlling apparatus.

By the term fusible solid, as herein used, I mean a material which is, under normaltemperature, solid or so nearly solid that it is devoid of mobility, but which, when heated, becomes mobile or so nearly so as that when it is subjected to pressure it will conform itself to the shape of a vessel and follow passages after the manner of liquids.

In the following description I show said apparatus applied to a fire-alarm or for the purpose of closing or opening the electriccircuit of the 'fire alarm system; also, to operate an automatic fire-proof curtain used to separate the auditorium of a theatre from the stage in case of fire; also, to open the pipes of an automatic sprinkling system, such as has been heretofore applied to the ceilings of rooms.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is I it is open.

the fire department. closed accidentally without the presence of a similar section of the apparatus applied to an electric circuit for the purpose of closing said circuit in case of abnormal heat. Fig. 3 shows itapplied to lift a pawl to release a drum upon which is rolled a fire-proof curtain, or the ropes or cables sustaining such fireproof curtain. Figs. 4 and 5 show the apparatus applied to asprinkling system and a firealarm system. Fig. 6 shows a modification in which a weight returns the piston.

Referring to Fig. 1, A is a metallic chamber, preferably broadened below, so as to hold a larger quantity of material, and so as to expose a larger area to the fire or heat below.

, On the upper side of said chamber A is seated a neck or sleeve, A, which is of uniform bore from top to bottom and communicates with the chamber A below, while at its upper end In said sleeve A is seated a piston, B, which closely fits said sleeve, so as to prevent the passage of liquid. The space within the chamber A is completely filled with paraffine, resin, pitch, or any of the oils or other materials which are solid under ordinary temperatures, but which liquefy and expand under higher temperatures. The apparatus is placed in such a position as to be exposed to the heat by which it is to be operated. Until such heat is reached or produced the apparatus is entirely inactive under all circumstances, no matter how much said apparatus may be jarred, shaken, or otherwise disturbed. The fusible material itself is fixed as much as are the walls of the chamber themselves, and the piston B fits the sleeve A so closely that it will not move unless considerable force is applied. Thus any accidental action is entirely avoided, which is quite essential for the objects to which this apparatus is to be applied. Whereit is used to close the electric circuit of a firealarm system, it is absolutel-yimperative that v the circuit be in no case closed excepting when there is an abnormal heat which demands the attention of the attendants of the building or When such circuit is fire or undue heat, the persons who are expected to respond soon loose confidence in the system and the calls and neglect to respond unless informed ofafire through some other channel. Systems operated by other devices lacking this certainty of action have proved a source of great annoyance to fire departments and have compelled them to make many runs to no purpose.

\Vhen a system ofsprinklingpipes is placed withina building, it is essential that the pipes be opened only when there is a fire beneath the pipes. If they are opened accidentally at other times, annoyance and damage will result; and in the use ofafire-proof curtain in a theater it is essential that the curtain be controlled by mechanism which will not release the curtain and allow it to descend during aperformance in consequence of shaking or jarring or anything which may be done upon the stage, excepting the actual presence of fire on the stage. The accidental and unwarranted de scent of such a curtain during the course of a performance, aside from interfering with the performance itself, may also create alarm in the audience and cause the emptying of the auditorium, possibly with a stampede.

In Fig. 2 the apparatus has secured upon sleeve A a wooden sleeve, A. Upon this wooden sleeve is seated a metal strip, A which is bent inward at its upper end to rest above the upper end of the piston B and almost in contact with the latter. The strip A is thus insulated from the piston B and chamber A. A wire, A, leads from the strip A to the battery, and a wire, A, leads from the wall of the chamber A to the battery, thus forming a circuit which is broken between the end of the strip A and the end of the piston B. Now, when the lower face of the chamber A is exposed to abnormal heat, the fusible material within such chamber liquefies and expands, driving the piston B slowly upward until the contact is made with the end of the strip A. The end or upper portion of the piston B is preferably grooved transversely, so that as it passes upwardly it makes several contacts and breaks with the end of the strip A, in order to insure a complete contact in case any dust or other foreign material should tend to hinder the closing of the circuit.

In Fig. 3 C is a drum, upon which is rolled the fire-proof curtain above mentioned,or the cables which support said curtain. At the end of said drum is the ratchet-wheel O. D is a pawl hinged at one end and engaging the ratchet-wheel C at the other end, thus holding the drum against rotation and holding the curtain in its elevated position. My apparatus is placed a suitable distance beneath the pawl D, and the piston B extended upwardly to the pawl D and connected with thelatter at D. The curtain and the parts connected therewith will remain in this position until the piston B is pushed upward. This occurs when a fire beneath heats the chamber A, whereupon the pawl D is raised out of engagement with the ratchetwheel G, and the drum rotates and the curtain descends. My apparatus may be used similarly to operate ventilators and fans in theaters and other situations.

In Fig. 4 E is a horizontal water-pipe conducted along the ceiling of a room, in which water is supplied under pressure. At suitable points said pipe has short downwardly-d1- rected branches E. Into said branch 1s threaded or soldered the pipe G, to the lower end of which latter pipe is attached, preferabl y by threading, a sprinkler, I-I. Trans versely to the pipe G is attached or formed a branch, G. Opposite the pipe G the pipe G is cut with an opening large enough to receive a shaft of sufficient diameter to completely close said pipe. To the outer end of the pipe G is attached the chamber A, with its side facing downward. The piston B is made of such diameter as to fill the opening in the pipe G, and is made long enough to extend through said pipe a short distance. Between the pipe G and the chamber A said piston has the vertical hole B. At the side of pipe G a piece of insulating material is mounted, and upon this is secured a metal strip, A, which extends over the end of the piston B, and is almost in contact with the latter. From the base of said strip a circuit-wire, A, leads to the battery, and from the wall of said pipe G a wire, A leads to the battery, as already explained of Fig. 2. The water in the pipe E now rests in the upper end of the pipeG and upon the piston B, by which latter it is prevented from rushing into the room. \Vhen a fire in the room heats the chamber A, the piston B is driven forward until the hole B is in line with the opening through the pipe G, when the stream of water is allowed to flow downward and be distributed over the room by the sprinkler II. At the same time the outer end of the piston B makes the contact with the strip A and transmits an alarm through the electric circuit. In case ofa fire of short dura tion it is desirable to have the How of water stop as soon as the fire has ceased. For this I have made provision. As soon as the material within the chamber A is cooled somewhat, it may be compressed again into smaller space. Therefore the piston B may be returned by the application of power and the flow of water again out off.

Upon the upper side of the chamber A, I mount a coiled spring, I, attaching it by its outer end to the post It and by its inner end to a link or yoke, I,which surrounds the pipe G and is attached to the outer end of the pis ton B. This may be done in several ways. The drawings show a notch cut transversely into the end of said piston, in which said link rests. The spring I is so adjusted as to hold the link in engagement when the piston B is in its normal position. IVhen the piston B is driven forward, said spring extends until the fusible material in the chamber A cools and yields to the power of the spring, the piston being then drawn back again into its former position and the water out off, and the fusible material cooling and leaving the apparatus ready for future use. The spring I may obviously be placed in other positions, so as to act equally well upon the piston B.

In the use of my apparatus for controlling the fire-proof curtain the piston B or the pawl D may have the weight W, Fig. 6, to compress the fusible material upon cooling.

In the foregoing application my apparatus operates automatically. It may also be used non-automatically for various purposes, particularly as a substitute for lifting-jacks or to furnish power for presses. By increasing the size and strength of its parts enormous power may be developed.

No claim is made for the fire apparatus shown herein, the same being reserved for other applications for. patents.

I claim as my invention- 1. The chamber A, provided with the piston B, and filled behind said piston with a ma terial which is solid and fixed under ordinary temperatures, but which softens and expands under heat and drives said piston forward, substantially as herein shown, and for the purposes set forth.

2. The chamber A, provided with the piston B, and filled behind said piston with paraffine, whereby the piston is driven forward when said chamber is heated, but does not move in response to other agencies so long as said chamber is not subjected to abnormal heat, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination of a piston, B, and chamher A, filled with a fusible solid, said chamber being broadened below or behind the piston in order that it may expose a relatively greater surface to the heat, substantially as herein described.

4. The combination ofapiston, B, and chamber A, filled with paraffine, said chamber being broadened below or behind the piston in order that it may expose a relatively greater 7 surface to the heat, substantially as herein described.

5. The combination,with the piston B and chamber A, filled with a fusible solid, of a spring or weight to return the piston to its normal position after it has beenvdriven forward, substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination, with the piston B and chamber A, filled with a fusible solid, of a spring, I, and yoke 1, connecting said yoke and piston, substantially as shown, and for the purposes specified.

fining a fusible solid by fixed walls and a movable solid part, and then imparting heat to said fusiblesolid, whereby it expands and moves said movable part, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WVILLIAM G. SHAFFER.

Witnesses ROBERT CLARK, OYRUs KEHR. 

